TRAFFIC calming measures and road improvements aimed at making life safer for residents on a busy rat-run have left them with a whole new set of problems.

They claim since the safety measures were introduced at Queensway in Guiseley and Yeadon there is no room to park cars in the road and the area's grass verges are being turned into quagmires as residents try to park safely.

Shortly before Christmas, Leeds City Council introduced humps, a pedestrian crossing, a roundabout and miniature traffic islands on Queensway in order to reduce the speed of traffic using the road as a short cut in order to avoid the busy main Leeds Road.

The council also introduced a tree, a lamp standard and a traffic sign, and Tony Robinson, 68, said since the introduction of a traffic island and road sign outside his home he has nowhere to park - and claims the value of his home has fallen accordingly.

The council has dismissed Mr Robinson's claims but says while it does not condone parking on verges it accepts residents nopw have no choice.

Mr Robinson said: "I can't park outside my house anymore because of the traffic island and the traffic sign and now I have to park my car some distance on a bus layby," he said.

"If the tree was removed I would be able to get my car onto the grass verge. Mind you I would also like the the grassed area removed and the verge flagged. I got in touch with the council about three weeks ago but no one as yet has been to see me," he said.

"The verges along Queensway are being churned up because more and more cars are having to park on them," he said.

Mr Robinson said he had received notification that traffic calming measures were to be carried out and if he had a view about the matter then he should contact them.

"I received notification of the work one day and then the following day the work on the traffic calming measures continued. I had no chance to object or give my view," he said.

Another resident in Queensway has had to place paving stones over the muddy verges so he can get his vehicle in and out of his garden and Denise Devine, 27, of Queensway, said there was no parking facility at the rear of her home. "Because of this we have had to park on Queensway and now we are having to park on the muddy verge. I would like the council to provide parking bays and do away with the grass verge," she said.

But a Leeds City Council spokeswoman said: "There is nothing whatsoever to prevent Mr Robinson parking his car exactly where he has always done.

"We have discussed the matter with him, and it would appear he feels uncomfortable with traffic passing relatively near his parked car to negotiate the traffic calming measures. However, his car is in no more danger than it was

before.

"We do not condone parking on grass verges although we accept that in this case, the residents of Queensway have little choice. When cars park on grass verges regularly, the ground invariably becomes muddy and unpleasant. Unfortunately there is little which can be done to improve it in the short term, although we are monitoring the effects closely."

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